Weleda, the craze for natural care.

For nearly 100 years , Weleda has been developing pharmaceutical and cosmetic products with the deepest respect for Man and Nature. Pioneers in the sustainable development approach, Weleda laboratories thus respond to the growing enthusiasm of consumers for natural care. They make sure to act in perfect harmony with humans and nature.

To meet these objectives, the priorities have been defined according to the PRO attitude:

• Preserve biodiversity by favoring biodynamic crops and responsible management of resources and natural spaces - eco-responsibility.

Almost 1000 raw materials go into the composition of WELEDA medicines and cosmetic products. In order to protect an entire ecosystem, WELEDA favors organic farming for 83% or controlled wild picking. These gardens are free from synthetic substances and constitute a rich living space for plants and animals. Water features, nesting places and green roofs further enhance these biospheres.

• Reduce pollution and discharges, including for monitoring carbon emissions, reduce the volume of waste and discharges to water.

The company is working on recyclable, sustainable and innovative packaging which must meet requirements for the protection of the products it contains. She also works on the packaging and shipping of their products from the warehouse. To fill the packages, they use shredded cardboard or 100% degradable wedge chips, made from potato starch. Their vans run on natural gas and their warehouse is lit by LED lamps.

• Optimize processes in order to use water, energy and raw materials efficiently.

The manufacture of natural cosmetics and medicines requires the consumption of water, but also in the collection of raw materials and the production of packaging. These actions leave traces in nature, which can also be described as an ecological footprint. This footprint must be as low as possible, which is why they increase rainwater collectors and reintroduce condensation water into the manufacturing cycle, thus reducing water consumption by 25% / kilo of product.

In 2013 50.7% of their direct energy and 94.3% of their indirect energy came from renewable sources.

The responsibility for a sustainable economy rests on the use of natural resources which cannot exceed the capacity of the earth to renew them.

• WELEDA is committed to social responsibility by privileging, on the one hand, long-term relationships both with their employees to maintain a good balance between professional and private life, and with their suppliers in order to guarantee them a volume of fixed purchase and fair and equitable compensation anywhere in the world to ensure their sustainability. These commitments ensure a reliable supply in terms of the quality of raw materials; on the other hand by offering work and training opportunities to local communities in order to keep them on their territory.

These priorities are defined according to criteria that they undertake to respect:

• + 80% organic ingredients
• Respect for the planet.
• 100% natural products
• No animal testing

To date, 80% of the countries in the world still allow experiments on animals or the marketing of products tested on animals for any product that comes into contact with the human body.

China imposes very strict regulations on cosmetics: to sell a product in this market, animal testing is required and mandatory (except for soaps and oral hygiene products) even if the laws tend to be soften. Weleda currently markets in China only products that can be registered without having been tested on animals (namely soaps and oral hygiene products as mentioned above).